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ERIC Number: ED196150
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1980
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Liberalism Among Superintendents: An Attitude Profile Drawn from Contemporary Social and Political Issues.
Smith, Carol M.
This report offers the results of an effort to trace a value profile of school superintendents, who are distinguished both by a high level of professional education and by a need to relate effectively with those who have a lower level of education. The intent was to examine the growing polarity between a highly educated liberal "intelligentsia" and a conservative working class "bourgeoisie," and to determine how superintendents integrate these essentially contradictory value clusters. The three groups surveyed were superintendents, respondents to the General Social Survey, and elementary and secondary educators. An overall assessment suggests that the country as a whole is basically conservative. Educators, who have at least a bachelor's degree, are noticably more liberal than the general population. Superintendents, who generally have at least a master's degree, are even more liberal. The four dimensions considered were sexuality, freedoms, finance, and defense. The greatest agreement was found in regard to the sexuality dimension. Superintendents are not consistently liberal in all dimensions of their values. They are most liberal with regard to minorities, feminism, foreign aid, and atheism, which may be attributed to higher educational attainments. (Author/JK)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: General Social Survey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A